Lori Sizemore
Let's welcome Lori Sizemore.
Lori writes sexy and snarky romance. She adores all things story and geeks out about craft books, writing classes, and how-to blog posts daily.
When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family, playing video games, or crocheting. Sometimes all three at once, as she’s a master multi-tasker.
She loves to read a good book, in any genre, but her favorite is romance. Find her online blogging or on social media through her website, lorisizemore.com.
Social Media
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/lorisizemoreauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lorisizemore
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/lorisizemore
Blog: http://lorisizemore.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/loriwrites
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lori_sizemore/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loriwrites/
Now onto the questions...
What’s your favorite thing to do to relax? I play video games. I play RPGs (role playing games for the non-gamers), strategy, time management, and life management. My favorite games are the Sims franchise and the Animal Crossing franchise. There’s just something about both that have drawn me in for decades.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself? Please, please, please stop caring what other people think. It matters a lot less than you think it does and it’s not worth all the unhappiness you have to unravel later.
At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? I make it a point to be the happiest every year. Troubles come and go, people say goodbye or pass on, but I’m not here to be miserable. I want to enjoy every second of life I can milk out of it. Beautiful sunset—love it. Vacation or holidays with my family? Always, always yes. Laughing at work with my friends as we banter back and forth? Perfect. The small things in life bring me joy, and they string together to make a lot of happiness.
What is the number one lie you tell yourself? How is that working out? I will always be okay. It’s actually working out fairly well. I’ve lost people I loved, my kids were in a horrendous car wreck and it’s been a lot of surgeries and doctor visits and physical therapy. It’s been really freaking hard. Not as hard as watching them cut my oldest from the car as it hung above a raging river, but still hard. But, here’s the thing—so far, I am okay. I know there are worse things that could happen and one day I really might not be able to recover. But the whole “I’ll be okay no matter how tough things get” lie gets me through the hard times.
Now about you as an author…
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on. My father’s mother inhaled romances. She’d read 10-15 a week, easy. I borrowed a lot of them. I don’t remember who the authors were, but I think this gave me a love and a feel for romance. As an adult, Jennifer Crusie was the first romance author I read and thought, “This. This is what I want to write.” Of course, we can’t all be as skilled and talented as she is, but it had a big impact on me. I always wanted to write, but I’d never had a direction. Once I did, I put my head down and started working at finding out as much as I could about writing, about romance, and about my voice.
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? (teacher, family member, friend) So many people. Teachers (Mrs. Cook and Coach Harris—I’m looking at you!), my grandmother, my husband. The early encouragement meant the world and the staunch support my husband gives me keeps me at it. If so many people believe in me, who am I to doubt myself? I mean, I do, because we all do—but this gets me up off the ground and back at it.
What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite? My favorite is probably editing because there’s a shape there. I have an idea of where I’m going, even if I’m not there yet, and I can plan how to get there. My least favorite is first scenes. There’s so much to accomplish in a first scene: hook the reader, motivate the protagonist, define who the protagonist is as a person, give the reader a sense of voice and what to expect. And there’s more, so much more. It intimidates me a lot. I usually edit my first scenes (or rewrite them completely) over and over.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing? Coffee or tea. Music is sometimes necessary depending on the mood I’m trying to set, where I’m writing, and who I need to drown out. I vape (don’t judge me—I know it’s not good for me!) and that’s pretty essential to my comfort level so I guess somewhere private would be a must-have, too.
Lori writes sexy and snarky romance. She adores all things story and geeks out about craft books, writing classes, and how-to blog posts daily.
When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family, playing video games, or crocheting. Sometimes all three at once, as she’s a master multi-tasker.
She loves to read a good book, in any genre, but her favorite is romance. Find her online blogging or on social media through her website, lorisizemore.com.
Social Media
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/lorisizemoreauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lorisizemore
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/lorisizemore
Blog: http://lorisizemore.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/loriwrites
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lori_sizemore/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loriwrites/
Now onto the questions...
What’s your favorite thing to do to relax? I play video games. I play RPGs (role playing games for the non-gamers), strategy, time management, and life management. My favorite games are the Sims franchise and the Animal Crossing franchise. There’s just something about both that have drawn me in for decades.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself? Please, please, please stop caring what other people think. It matters a lot less than you think it does and it’s not worth all the unhappiness you have to unravel later.
At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? I make it a point to be the happiest every year. Troubles come and go, people say goodbye or pass on, but I’m not here to be miserable. I want to enjoy every second of life I can milk out of it. Beautiful sunset—love it. Vacation or holidays with my family? Always, always yes. Laughing at work with my friends as we banter back and forth? Perfect. The small things in life bring me joy, and they string together to make a lot of happiness.
What is the number one lie you tell yourself? How is that working out? I will always be okay. It’s actually working out fairly well. I’ve lost people I loved, my kids were in a horrendous car wreck and it’s been a lot of surgeries and doctor visits and physical therapy. It’s been really freaking hard. Not as hard as watching them cut my oldest from the car as it hung above a raging river, but still hard. But, here’s the thing—so far, I am okay. I know there are worse things that could happen and one day I really might not be able to recover. But the whole “I’ll be okay no matter how tough things get” lie gets me through the hard times.
Now about you as an author…
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on. My father’s mother inhaled romances. She’d read 10-15 a week, easy. I borrowed a lot of them. I don’t remember who the authors were, but I think this gave me a love and a feel for romance. As an adult, Jennifer Crusie was the first romance author I read and thought, “This. This is what I want to write.” Of course, we can’t all be as skilled and talented as she is, but it had a big impact on me. I always wanted to write, but I’d never had a direction. Once I did, I put my head down and started working at finding out as much as I could about writing, about romance, and about my voice.
Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? (teacher, family member, friend) So many people. Teachers (Mrs. Cook and Coach Harris—I’m looking at you!), my grandmother, my husband. The early encouragement meant the world and the staunch support my husband gives me keeps me at it. If so many people believe in me, who am I to doubt myself? I mean, I do, because we all do—but this gets me up off the ground and back at it.
What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite? My favorite is probably editing because there’s a shape there. I have an idea of where I’m going, even if I’m not there yet, and I can plan how to get there. My least favorite is first scenes. There’s so much to accomplish in a first scene: hook the reader, motivate the protagonist, define who the protagonist is as a person, give the reader a sense of voice and what to expect. And there’s more, so much more. It intimidates me a lot. I usually edit my first scenes (or rewrite them completely) over and over.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing? Coffee or tea. Music is sometimes necessary depending on the mood I’m trying to set, where I’m writing, and who I need to drown out. I vape (don’t judge me—I know it’s not good for me!) and that’s pretty essential to my comfort level so I guess somewhere private would be a must-have, too.
Tell us about your latest release...
Blurb
Happiness is only a cup away.
Former social worker Roxie Fisher believes she’s cursed to never find happiness and an invitation to Cupid’s Café isn’t going to change her situation. All the same, against her better judgment, she gives it a try. What else does she have to lose?
After the death of his wife, accountant-turned-firefighter Aidan Craig can’t stop taking ridiculous risks and never turns down a dare. So an invitation to Cupid’s Café is an offer he can’t refuse. What he doesn’t expect is to meet the social worker who helped him through the darkest days of his life. Now she’s the one struggling, and he’s compelled to help.
The two experience an immediate attraction, but Aidan swore to never become involved in another relationship, and Roxie can’t imagine daredevil Aidan being interested in a boring, cat-rescuer like her.
Can Roxie find the simple joy of taking a risk? Is Aidan willing to risk his heart? Or will they both lose out on a chance at true love?
Excerpt
Aidan stopped eating to look at her. She wore no makeup—hadn’t worn much since he’d known her. Her hair was falling out of the bun in curling tendrils around her face.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“You’re a little irresistible.”
“That’s definitely not true.” She pushed a curl behind her ear and tucked her face down. He could detect a faint blush on her cheeks.
They finished eating in silence, then Aidan stood, took her empty plate with his, and deposited them in the garbage.
While they packed up a backpack with sandwiches, water, and a blanket, they chatted. The awkwardness of the day before seemed to have dissipated in the night.
“When I went walking yesterday, I walked down to the pier. There were so many people fishing.”
“Yeah,” Aidan said, finishing up the packing. “There’s a lot of fishing here.”
“It was cool. I could try fishing, if I could get by with touching neither bait nor fish.”
He slipped on the backpack. “That’s not really fishing, Rox.”
“Sure it is. It’s the essence of fishing. The fish and the bait are inconsequential. It’s the sitting, being still as the breeze plays over my skin, the snap of the line and the act of reeling something unknown in.”
They headed down the path he pointed out. As they hiked, they had a full view of the early morning lake. “It’s a little breathtaking, the sights here. I could live without the walking, but everything has a price, I suppose,” she said.
They stopped near the lake, moved a little off the trail and spread out a blanket. “You ready to eat yet?” Aidan asked.
“No, breakfast was just a couple of hours ago.” Roxie took off her shoes and socks and laid down on the blanket.
Aidan spread out beside her, on his side, to watch her. She basked in the sun, and he was reminded of the cats she loved so much.
“You really do enjoy the whole lying-in-the-sun thing, huh?”
“I do. I put on sunblock and it’s not to tan. The warmth is so nice.” She didn’t open her eyes as she spoke. “It’s like sensory overload out here, and the sun is the icing on a nature-filled cake.”
“You glow in the light.”
“You sound crazier than me, now.”
“No, I mean…you’re beautiful.”
She quirked her lips in a half-grin. “Crazy talk.”
Reminding himself she’d basically dared him to prove how much he wanted her and only her, he placed his hand on her stomach and scooted near her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to kiss you until we’re both drunk on it.” He grabbed her tank and pulled her closer, sealing his lips over hers.
She turned to him, rising above him, and deepened the kiss. When they heard other people laughing and talking a few feet away on the trail, she pulled away. “You’re right. I feel dizzy.”
“Come back to camp with me and let me show you more.”
“You’ve already shown me more. Don’t worry, I trust your abilities to overwhelm me.”
He exhaled, a little frustrated. Why was she so determined to rebuff his advances? He’d back off because that was what she wanted. Let her enjoy her sunbathing and he’d think about a new plan of attack.
She laid back, closing her eyes, and basked in the warmth as her breathing evened out.
How did you decide on your story plot? I’ve lived with depression and I wanted to write my truth—that depression is different for everyone, that it can be deadly for some, and that true love’s kiss isn’t going to make it better. Recovering from depression is a battle that is hard-fought. I hope I embodied all of those truths in this story. Aidan came fully formed, my first non-alpha hero. He was great—ridiculously hot, but with a pain that only watching someone you love die can cause. A true good guy. Cupid’s Café is about second chances and people who are so sure they’ll never find love. This was probably one of the most fully-formed, quickest to write stories I’ve written.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? The location was a joint decision—we wanted somewhere that one of us lived so we could ask questions. Three of us were lucky enough to go for a mini-writing retreat there and we scoped out a location for the Café.
The only particularly purposeful decision was to give Roxie Carrie Fisher’s last name. I adored Carrie Fisher and I felt like this character would be a tribute to the way she fought to bring to light the struggles of mental illness.
Do you have a favorite scene? Why? My favorite scene is when Roxie goes to see Aidan in the rain storm. Because, of course, a downpour comes and she’s soaked and mer mascara is running and it’s just so typical Roxie. And Aidan takes one look at her and he must have her because he loves who she is. That’s romance for me, as much as a happily-ever-after: truly seeing someone with all of their flaws and loving them for being exactly like they are.
Blurb
Happiness is only a cup away.
Former social worker Roxie Fisher believes she’s cursed to never find happiness and an invitation to Cupid’s Café isn’t going to change her situation. All the same, against her better judgment, she gives it a try. What else does she have to lose?
After the death of his wife, accountant-turned-firefighter Aidan Craig can’t stop taking ridiculous risks and never turns down a dare. So an invitation to Cupid’s Café is an offer he can’t refuse. What he doesn’t expect is to meet the social worker who helped him through the darkest days of his life. Now she’s the one struggling, and he’s compelled to help.
The two experience an immediate attraction, but Aidan swore to never become involved in another relationship, and Roxie can’t imagine daredevil Aidan being interested in a boring, cat-rescuer like her.
Can Roxie find the simple joy of taking a risk? Is Aidan willing to risk his heart? Or will they both lose out on a chance at true love?
Excerpt
Aidan stopped eating to look at her. She wore no makeup—hadn’t worn much since he’d known her. Her hair was falling out of the bun in curling tendrils around her face.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“You’re a little irresistible.”
“That’s definitely not true.” She pushed a curl behind her ear and tucked her face down. He could detect a faint blush on her cheeks.
They finished eating in silence, then Aidan stood, took her empty plate with his, and deposited them in the garbage.
While they packed up a backpack with sandwiches, water, and a blanket, they chatted. The awkwardness of the day before seemed to have dissipated in the night.
“When I went walking yesterday, I walked down to the pier. There were so many people fishing.”
“Yeah,” Aidan said, finishing up the packing. “There’s a lot of fishing here.”
“It was cool. I could try fishing, if I could get by with touching neither bait nor fish.”
He slipped on the backpack. “That’s not really fishing, Rox.”
“Sure it is. It’s the essence of fishing. The fish and the bait are inconsequential. It’s the sitting, being still as the breeze plays over my skin, the snap of the line and the act of reeling something unknown in.”
They headed down the path he pointed out. As they hiked, they had a full view of the early morning lake. “It’s a little breathtaking, the sights here. I could live without the walking, but everything has a price, I suppose,” she said.
They stopped near the lake, moved a little off the trail and spread out a blanket. “You ready to eat yet?” Aidan asked.
“No, breakfast was just a couple of hours ago.” Roxie took off her shoes and socks and laid down on the blanket.
Aidan spread out beside her, on his side, to watch her. She basked in the sun, and he was reminded of the cats she loved so much.
“You really do enjoy the whole lying-in-the-sun thing, huh?”
“I do. I put on sunblock and it’s not to tan. The warmth is so nice.” She didn’t open her eyes as she spoke. “It’s like sensory overload out here, and the sun is the icing on a nature-filled cake.”
“You glow in the light.”
“You sound crazier than me, now.”
“No, I mean…you’re beautiful.”
She quirked her lips in a half-grin. “Crazy talk.”
Reminding himself she’d basically dared him to prove how much he wanted her and only her, he placed his hand on her stomach and scooted near her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to kiss you until we’re both drunk on it.” He grabbed her tank and pulled her closer, sealing his lips over hers.
She turned to him, rising above him, and deepened the kiss. When they heard other people laughing and talking a few feet away on the trail, she pulled away. “You’re right. I feel dizzy.”
“Come back to camp with me and let me show you more.”
“You’ve already shown me more. Don’t worry, I trust your abilities to overwhelm me.”
He exhaled, a little frustrated. Why was she so determined to rebuff his advances? He’d back off because that was what she wanted. Let her enjoy her sunbathing and he’d think about a new plan of attack.
She laid back, closing her eyes, and basked in the warmth as her breathing evened out.
How did you decide on your story plot? I’ve lived with depression and I wanted to write my truth—that depression is different for everyone, that it can be deadly for some, and that true love’s kiss isn’t going to make it better. Recovering from depression is a battle that is hard-fought. I hope I embodied all of those truths in this story. Aidan came fully formed, my first non-alpha hero. He was great—ridiculously hot, but with a pain that only watching someone you love die can cause. A true good guy. Cupid’s Café is about second chances and people who are so sure they’ll never find love. This was probably one of the most fully-formed, quickest to write stories I’ve written.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? The location was a joint decision—we wanted somewhere that one of us lived so we could ask questions. Three of us were lucky enough to go for a mini-writing retreat there and we scoped out a location for the Café.
The only particularly purposeful decision was to give Roxie Carrie Fisher’s last name. I adored Carrie Fisher and I felt like this character would be a tribute to the way she fought to bring to light the struggles of mental illness.
Do you have a favorite scene? Why? My favorite scene is when Roxie goes to see Aidan in the rain storm. Because, of course, a downpour comes and she’s soaked and mer mascara is running and it’s just so typical Roxie. And Aidan takes one look at her and he must have her because he loves who she is. That’s romance for me, as much as a happily-ever-after: truly seeing someone with all of their flaws and loving them for being exactly like they are.
